Real Estate Information Archive

It’s trash day. You can breathe a small sigh of relief because all of your trash will fit in your trash bin and you can say goodbye forever. Hurray! But there’s one last step that’ll make your life a lot easier! It’s simple:

Before you take the trash out, open your refrigerator. Take a quick inventory and toss (or compost) anything that’s gone bad. Common culprits include deli meat, weeknight leftovers or anything that might have become an impromptu mold farm.

As you’re going through your drawers and shelves, take a mental note of what is about to go bad. This is the #1 way you can reduce food waste in your day-to-day life! By reminding yourself of what is about to expire, you can make a plan to use those ingredients in your next few meals.

If you’re feeling extra motivated, consider these organizing ideas as you take stock of fridge contents.

That’s it! Once you’ve tossed everything, take out the trash - and you won’t have to worry one bit about expired food stinking up your kitchen. 

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

We introduced and discussed the yield curve and how it has historically been a reliable predictor of recessions last week. (In review, the yield curve is simply a plot of all the government securities – one-month through 30-years.)

We were interested to see how the recent drop in yields has impacted the yield curve.  Our concern was that the drops have been concentrated on the long-end of the curve – five years and out.  If that occurred, the yield curve would show signs of flattening. This wouldn't be desirable because it could portend bad things to come.

That good news is that with the exception of the one-month T-bill and the one-year T-note, yields have been relatively uniform in falling.  As we noted earlier, we would like yields to cease falling, because that would indicate expectations for more economic activity.  Sluggish activity remains an overhang.

That said, the yield curve looks healthy and normal. This suggests there is still reason to view 2016 with optimism, which we do. Though global economic activity has slowed in recent month, it appears a recession isn't imminent.

Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

And They Keep Going Lower

Last week, we asked “how low can they go?” We find out this week that they can go lower.

Of course, we're referring to mortgage rates. The trend in rates remains downward sloping, which is no surprise. Over the past five days, the 10-year U.S. Treasury note chipped off another 15 basis points, which means the yield on this influential long-term lending benchmark is below 1.75%.  The rate on a prime conventional 30-year mortgage will hover two percentage points higher (give or take a few basis points) than the yield on the 10-year note.

Most of the national mortgage surveyors report best rate execution on a 30-year conventional mortgage below 3.7%. This is about it where it was this time last year. We see similar drops in the 15-year loan and, to a lesser extent, the 5/1-year ARM.

Lower lending rates have been good for business. The Mortgage Bankers Association's latest survey shows refinances up 16% week over week. A meaningful gain was also reported on purchase applications, which were up 7%.  When the MBA reports for this week, we expect to see a further increase in weekly activity.

Low rates are a nice stimulant, at least for the short term. But as we mentioned last week, we really don't like the idea of the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hanging this low indefinitely. The problem is that low rates frequently come encumbered with discouraging economic news.

Indeed, that's the case. Stocks around the world continue to sell off; commodity prices continue to fall. Oil is the number one commodity everyone focuses on, and it has recently been quoted below $28/barrel. This is good news when we fill up at the gas station. It's less welcomed news for U.S. oil producers, many of whom are drowning in debt that they can no longer service.

Stocks and commodities are trending lower over fears the world's major economies – including our own – are slowing, and could slow to the point of recession. Investors, in turn, have taken haven in U.S. Treasury securities and other government debt. Bloomberg reports that $7 trillion of sovereign government debt, roughly 30% of all government debt worldwide, now yields a negative interest rate. This means many investors aren't even seeking a return; they're simply seeking a place to warehouse their cash.

So, yes, low rates are nice, but an improved economic outlook would be even nicer.  After all, we are one big inter-dependent economic family.  For now, it appears today's low mortgage rates will remain.

Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Real talk: When you have a day at home, it can be tough not to binge watch a new series or craft something snazzy. Of course we all deserve these breaks, but probably not every weekend.

We put together some tips and tricks on how to get stuff done at home, so you can feel accomplished before you start your Netflix binge.

Here are 7 seven ways to cultivate productivity at home:

1. Limit Your To-Do List Per Day

Although we’ve all got to-do lists up the wazoo, manageable goals inspire productivity. Give yourself a 3-5 item limit and organize your tasks by day. This way you have the opportunity to finish your to-do list every single day. Boom!

2. Tackle Your Toughest Task First

If you get the hardest part out of the way first, you will be fresh and focused. You will also have a weight off your shoulders for the rest of the day.

3. Exercise

If you don’t have time to make a regular gym routine, bring the gym to your at-home yoga mat. Doing a ten-minute routine is a healthy way to energize yourself for another task that seemed daunting prior to a little sweat and elevated heart rate.

4. Take Proper Breaks

No matter what you’re doing, take a break every two hours. This will strengthen your focus in the long run. Break activities can include lunch, a dance party or a walk outside.

5. Plan to Plan

Reserve some time each day to plan your upcoming week. This could be blocking off an hour to choose your meals or to make your daily to-do list. If you get started with no intention, the task will take longer.

6. Eliminate Distractions

Don’t answer the phone if you’re busy. Ask your roommate or partner to talk later. If it helps to only check your email in the afternoon, implement that routine. When you’re working at home whether professionally or for personal pleasure, take your projects seriously.

7. Reward Yourself

If today’s task is to cook a large meal to eat for lunch all week, that deserves some acknowledgement! Treat yourself to your favorite TV show afterward or a 20-minute break on the couch with a book.

 Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Welcome to cozy boot camp. If you’ve been relying on that 10-year old pair of flannel pajamas for your sole source of bedroom cozy, then it’s time for an upgrade. Let’s get started.

1. An Electric Heating Pad

It’s NOT that time of the month again. Heating pads are made for all people that like to be warm while they do lovely things like read or watch TV shows. Cozy Tip: Try turning your heating pad on a few minutes before you plan to snuggle up under the covers to avoid that cold-sheets transition.

2. More Pillows, and Then Some More Pillows

You want to be ready for every occasion: propping up your feet, sitting up straight and crafting, and feeling like you’re sleeping in a sunken pillow fortress. Call yourself the impromptu-pillow-party pioneer, and set sail.

3. A Bedside Lamp that Actually Works

Some bedside lamps can be absolutely adorable and, simultaneously, absolutely useless. We’re talking about those really small ones with cute, navy-blue shades that give off no light and make reading impossible. You need a bedside lamp that makes reading in bed a dream. Like this one, that has levels of brightness depending on your mood. If you want something more flexible, these copper lights can be hung on any wall and provide a ton of warm, cozy light.

4. A Mattress Topper

Not only does this add an extra layer of cushion, mattress toppers lengthen the life of your mattress. They create an extra layer of protection against spills and, er, other stuff. More importantly, you can buy machine-washable toppers like this one.

5. Something That’s Alive

We know it’s winter and everything is dead and gray. That’s why you should consider adopting a new orchid or succulent plant. Something easy to care for that can bring some life back into your wake-up call. If you decide to take this tip to the next level, here’s the perfect plant for every room.

Optional: You could also buy 1-4 canine or feline companions to snuggle with you at all times.

6. New Pajamas

Operation No More Holes, commence! Or, if you really love your holey t-shirts, throw a fuzzy sweatshirt on top. And if you don’t have slippers, you definitely need slippers.

7. This Super Fuzzy Blanket

Faux Fur? Don’t mind if I do.

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note continues to hang near 2%. Not surprisingly, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continues to hang below 4%. As we mentioned last week, 2% on the 10-year note gets us sub-4% rate quotes on the 30-year loan.

Given the way the stock market has performed to start 2016, we expect mortgage rates to hold these lows for some time. Many investors are wary of stocks; wary investors take refuge in Treasury securities. The money that flows into these securities raises their price and lowers their yield. Because mortgage bonds take their cue from Treasury securities – the 10-year note in particular – investors are willing to accept lower-rate mortgages.

Stock-market risk perception runs high, which means risk aversion runs high. That's good news for us, because we are able to avail ourselves of low-rate financing. We're seeing mortgage rates we haven't seen in seven months. But keep in mind, it will take only a couple of sustained stock-market rallies for risk perception to change and for money to flow out of bonds and into stocks.

A big bounce in the stock market could easily lead to a big bounce in mortgage rates.

 Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Chalk it up to the January Effect

Our mood may have been a little too dour to start the New Year.  Maybe it's the time of year. January is something of a down month: The December holidays and all the festivities they engender are behind us. The days are short and there is really nothing to look forward to. Negative news, which there has been a surfeit of lately, tends to get amplified.

January is finally winding down, and the latest data releases are winding up – positively. Home sales, which we've been down on lately, have reemerged with a vengeance.

Existing home sales unexpectedly soared, increasing 14.7% to 5.46 million on an annualized rate, in December. The surge was strong enough to turn a negative into a positive. Total sales for 2015 posted at 5.26 million, 6.5% higher than the 4.94 million posted in 2014. But if December sales would have held at November's pace, sales for the year would have finished down.

That said, existing home sales still face near-term headwinds: Low supply continues to plague the market, as it has for the past two years. Total homes for sale fell to 1.79 million in December from November's 2.04 million. Supply relative to sales dropped to only 3.9 months. Supply is as low as it has been in nearly 11 years. It might be tough for sales to hold December levels as we head into spring.

Fourteen and seven must be the magic numbers for December. Existing home sales rose 14.7%, and so did new home sales. Specifically, new home sales increased 14.7% for 2015. There were 501,000 new homes sold last year compared to 437,000 in 2014. As for monthly numbers, we see new home sales were up 10.8% to 544,000 on an annualized rate in December compared to November.

As with existing home sales, supply could limit future new home sales. Supply did rise by 6,000 in December to 237,000, but supply relative to sales fell back to 5.2 months from 5.6 months.

Pricing could also be a limiting factor to sales growth. Prices continue to plow ahead in most major markets. Case-Shiller's 20-city index rose 0.9% in November.  All 20 cities Case-Shiller follows reported monthly gains. Year over year, Case-Shiller's index shows prices up 5.8%.

Of course, all markets are local markets, and a few local markets can skew the national average. Portland home prices are up 11.1% year over year, followed by San Francisco at 11% and Denver at 10.9%. Washington DC, at 2.1%, Chicago, at 2.0%, bring up the rear, but these rates of price appreciation are closer to historical norms. Therefore, they're more sustainable.

One month's worth of sales data doesn't make a trend, but it's a start. The uptick in purchase applications, which increased 5% last week, does lift our spirits and gives us good reason to anticipate the spring selling season.

 Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

When you have a messy house, it’s time to get your head in the game and start cleaning. But how can you motivate yourself to start tackling the clutter and dirt? Pump up the jams! No, seriously. Nothing will get you more in the mood to tackle soap scum and unsightly surface stains than a rockin’ cleaning playlist.

Follow these tips to create your own killer cleaning playlist:

1. Find Music that Makes You Move

The same type of music you listen to for morning runs and late night dance parties is perfect for your cleaning routine, too. The more movin’ and groovin’ you do, the more fun you’ll have! Use music to make picking up your home feel less like a chore and more like a choreographed dance routine. Go ahead, pretend like you’re in your favorite music video.  

2. Curate Carefully

Nothing disrupts the flow of a cleaning dance party like having to stop, put down the sponge and switch to the next song.  To avoid this, only add songs to your playlist you and your partner enjoy. If you can’t agree on a song, leave it off. If you get tired of hearing a particular tune, delete it. That way, your mood won’t turn sour because of a song you dislike, or something you’re sick of listening to.

3. Keep it Updated

To keep yourself energized and – dare we say it – looking forward to cleaning, make sure to update your playlist with a few new songs regularly. Change up the order of your playlist, add new songs you hear on the radio or ask friends to send you some of their favorites. The more you update your playlist, the more you’ll enjoy listening along!

Information provided by BrightNest.com.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Last week, we surmised that if the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note dropped to 2% or lower, we'd see the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage quoted regularly below 4%. The yield on the 10-year note dropped 15-basis points over the past week and is below 2%.

Mortgage-backed securities take their cue from the 10-year note. Therefore, mortgage rates (longer-term rates, specifically) take their cue from the 10-year note. Lenders today are regularly quoting the 30-year loan on top-tier scenarios below 3.9%.

The drop in longer-term mortgage rates has lead to a surge in refinances. The latest survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows refinances up 19% week over week. That's the good news. The bad news is that the same survey shows purchase applications down 2% week over week.  The downtrend in purchase applications is another reason we're not expecting an immediate upturn in home sales. 

The stock market is key. It's also a threat. We could easily see a spillover into housing: Both sales and lending activity could start trending lower if stock prices don't start trending higher.

 Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.

Still Stumbling Out of the Gate

2016 has hardly gotten off to an auspicious start, particularly if you own stocks.  Through the first two weeks of January, the S&P 500 has lost over 10% of its value. This is the worst start to a new year ever. 

If misery loves company, then the S&P has plenty of it. China's major stock barometer, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite, is down 16% year to date. Japan, Germany, and France have also experienced double-digit stock-market declines. In the United Kingdom, stocks are down almost 10%, but not quite. 

Around the world, investments are losing value, and they're not alone. Many asset groups are also losing value. (We distinguish investments from assets, in that investments generate cash flow.) Commodity assets – food stuff and industrial metals – continue to hit new multi-year lows. Then there is oil and natural gas, which also continue to trend lower. Oil prices are at a 13-year low. Though natural gas prices have rallied in recent weeks, they continue to hover near a 15-year low.

Not surprisingly, consumer price inflation (CPI) barely registers a blip these days. CPI for December showed a 1.0% monthly decline, which drops the annual inflation rate to a mere 0.7%. Energy lead the charge lower, posting a 2.4% monthly decline.

Housing continues to be the one positive sector in the economy. Unfortunately, even housing is showing signs of faltering.

Home builders remain optimistic, but just not as optimistic as they were in the second half of 2015.  The home builder sentiment index dropped to 60 in January. This is the third-consecutive monthly decrease.

Lower optimistic could simply be a reflection of fewer starts. Total housing starts for December were down 2.5% to 1.149 million on an annualized basis. Single-family starts bore the brunt of the decline, falling to 768,000 from 794,000 month over month.  Permits were the silver lining (somewhat). Permits came in at 1.232 million on an annualized basis. This beat expectations for 1.2 million permits, but they were still lower than the 1.282 million posted in November.

We've devoted a good deal of space to markets outside of housing and mortgage lending, and for a good reason. No market is an island. (The same can be said for any country.)

Our concern is that what's occurring in investment and asset markets could affect the housing market. Investments and assets produce a wealth effect: When investment and asset prices are appreciating, people feel wealthier and more confident. They're more likely to take on a big-ticket item – like a house.  The flip side is that when investment and asset prices are depreciating, people become more cautious. They're less likely to take on big-ticket items.

We're still bullish on housing, but we're also realistic. We wouldn't be surprised to see a further slowdown in national sales volume. We also wouldn't be surprised to see a slower pace of price appreciation (and even price depreciation) in more local housing markets. 

 Information provided by Jessica Regan.

Search all Harrisburg PA homes for sale.

When you are buying or selling property in today's Harrisburg PA real estate market, it's important to have confidence in your real estate professional. Don’s commitment as your Harrisburg PA REALTOR® is to provide you with the specialized real estate service you deserve.

When you are an informed buyer or seller, you'll make the best decisions for the most important purchase or sale in your lifetime. That's why Don’s goal is to keep you informed on trends in Harrisburg PA real estate. With property values continuing to rise, real estate is a sound investment for now and for the future.

As a local area expert with knowledge of Harrisburg PA area communities, Don’s objective is to work diligently to assist you in meeting your real estate goals.

If you are considering buying or selling a home or would just like to have additional information about real estate in your area, please don't hesitate to call me at (717) 657-8700, complete my online form, or e-mail me at don@donroth.com.